Asil Nadir

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent estimate the Serious Fraud Office has made of assets hidden from prosecutors by Asil Nadir.

Oliver Heald: Following the collapse of Polly Peck International plc in 1990, Asil Nadir was made bankrupt in 1991. Since that time the Trustee in Bankruptcy identified some assets and it is believed that some monies were paid to creditors. A court order prevented the Trustee in Bankruptcy from providing much information to the Serious Fraud Office.
	After Asil Nadir's conviction, the SFO applied for compensation to the administrators of Polly Peck International plc. The sum applied for represented the monies he had been convicted of stealing i.e. £28,891,911 plus compound interest. The Judge ordered Asil Nadir to set out details of his assets and those of his family in a Financial Circumstances Order. In response, the defendant claimed he had no assets and that he was dependent on the generosity of friends and family. The SFO provided evidence to the court that Asil Nadir had access to wealth since his return to the UK in 2010, as he had apparently spent more than £3.8 million.
	After hearing evidence, the Judge concluded on 2 November 2012 that the defendant had financial resources acquired after the appointment of the Trustee in Bankruptcy but which he had not disclosed to the Trustee in Bankruptcy or to the Court. However, the Judge was unable to put a value on these resources as there was no evidence available in that regard.
	He ordered the defendant to pay £5 million in compensation. If the sum were not paid within two years, the Judge ordered that up to a maximum of 6 additional years in prison should be served in default. The money was subsequently paid.

Social Networking: Prosecutions

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Attorney-General whether he plans to respond to the Director of Public Prosecution's interim guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media.

Oliver Heald: Neither I or the Attorney-General have any plans to respond formally to the Director of Public Prosecution's (DPP) consultation on interim guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media. The DPP has kept me informed during the development of the interim guidelines and consultation, and I will ensure that matters raised with me on the subject, including those that have been raised by the hon. Member, are communicated to the DPP.

Scottish Employability Forum

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2013, Official Report, column 367W, on manufacturing industries, if he will publish the dates of future meetings of the Scottish Employability Forum.

David Mundell: The next meeting of the Scottish Employability Forum is scheduled for 5 September 2013 and the Forum wilt be scheduled thereafter on a six monthly basis. The minutes of the first meeting are available on the Scotland Office website.

Cycling: Accidents

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the rise in cyclist casualties in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011; and what plans he has to address that issue.

Norman Baker: We take cycle safety very seriously and we are working hard to reduce the number of cyclist casualties. The rise in the number of cyclists seriously injured may be, at least in part, due to the increase in cycling we have seen in recent years and we will continue to progress initiatives to improve cycle safety.
	We have announced £107 million additional investment in cycling infrastructure over the last year including £35 million to tackle dangerous junctions for cyclists across the country. We launched a THINK! Cycle safety campaign last September and have also made it simpler for councils to put in place 20 mph zones and limits and install Trixi mirrors to improve the visibility of cyclists at junctions.

Road Traffic Control: South East

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to alleviate congestion on trunk roads in (a) the South East and (b) Brighton, Kemptown constituency.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is investing £3.3 billion on major road schemes during this Parliament and tackling pinch points through a dedicated £317 million fund. For the South East, the programme of major improvements includes upgrading Junctions 5-7 and Junctions 23-27 of the M25 to managed motorways. Managed motorways help relieve congestion by using technology to vary speed limits and allow the hard shoulder to be used as a running lane to create additional capacity. The Agency is currently progressing plans to implement ‘free-flow’ charging on the M25 at the Dartford River Crossing to reduce congestion.
	Also, the South East will benefit from a major scheme to upgrade 2.5 miles of the A23 trunk road just south of Gatwick airport on the main route between London and Brighton. This will be completed next year and will reduce congestion, improve journey time reliability and improve road safety. Improvements to the A21 trunk road are being planned between Tonbridge and Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, with work potentially starting in 2015.
	The national pinch point programme will deliver more than 65 new schemes by 2015. Nine of these are planned for the South East and include improvements to the network on the A34, A27, A3 and A404 trunk roads.
	Alongside network improvements, the Highways Agency's programmes for maintenance, traffic management, incident response and travel information all address congestion problems across the strategic road network.

Shipping: Registration

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of recent progress made by Category 1 members of the Red Ensign Group in ratifying the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is monitoring progress by the Category 1 members of the Red Ensign Group, and working with those which are intending to ratify the convention to ensure that their legislation is in line with the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and with United Kingdom policy.
	The current position is:
	Bermuda—draft legislation has been reviewed by the United Kingdom and the Bermuda administration is considering comments.
	British Virgin Islands-intends to adopt United Kingdom implementing legislation through an Enactment Order.
	Cayman Islands—legislation is under development.
	Gibraltar—draft legislation submitted for consideration by UK.
	Isle of Man—legislation being prepared for submission, via the Attorney-General's Office, to the United Kingdom for review.

Shipping: Registration

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Category 2 members of the Red Ensign Group are required to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 in full.

Stephen Hammond: No. It is a decision for each Administration whether they implement the provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC). When the United Kingdom is ready to ratify the MLC, ratification will be extended to those REG Administrations of either Category 1 or Category 2 which the UK is satisfied are compliant with the convention.

Shipping: Registration

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has provided advice to (a) Category 1 and (b) Category 2 members of the Red Ensign Group on the ratification process for the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.

Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has hosted a number of discussions on the implementation and ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) at the Red Ensign Group conference and intervening technical forums since 2008.
	A representative of the Red Ensign Group (REG) attends the MCA's Tripartite Working Group which advises on implementation of the MLC, and papers are circulated to all members for information, as are all consultation documents on the United Kingdom's implementing legislation.
	The MCA has provided training to REG surveyors on MLC flag state and port state inspections.
	In addition, the MCA has corresponded with individual Administrations on specific issues as the need arises, and is reviewing draft implementing legislation produced by REG Administrations in order to advise on compliance.

North Korea

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking in response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test.

Hugo Swire: We are currently working with partners in the UN Security Council to agree a robust response to North Korea's nuclear test; just as we secured following North Korea's recent ‘satellite’ launch. I also summoned the North Korean ambassador, to the FCO last month to express the UK's strong condemnation of the test. And we are working with EU partners on strengthening the EU's sanctions regime on the DPRK.

Afghanistan

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, during his recent discussions with Afghanistan Defence Minister Mohammadi, he raised the issue of respect for women's rights and protection of women's security by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF); and whether the UK provides funding or support for training on the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law to ANSF personnel.

Alistair Burt: The full participation of women in all aspects of Afghan society is fundamental to securing a stable and prosperous future Afghanistan and the UK has been forthright in its promotion. We therefore regularly raise respect for women's rights and protection of women's security with the Afghan Government. In December last year the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), raised the issue with President Karzai.
	Implementation of the Afghan Elimination of Violence Against Women Law (EVAW) was specifically included in the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework, the partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community.
	The UK, along with our international partners, continues to look at how best we might support the Afghan Government as they seek to implement the EVAW Law. Our £7.1 million assistance to the Ministry of the Interior goes in part towards helping to improve the Afghan National Police's role in protecting and upholding women's rights. It also supports the development of Afghan policy on promoting human rights and protecting women from violence. UK training to the Afghan National Security Forces is delivered as part of the NATO training mission. Respect for human rights is always a component in this training and a consideration when UK military and police personnel are mentoring their Afghan colleagues. UK police officers working in the European Union Police Mission Afghanistan (EUPOL) developed and support the delivery of a Prevention of Violence Against Women course.

British Overseas Territories

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs over how many financial years the Overseas Territories Jubilee Programme is expected to last.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Jubilee Programme was created in FY 2012-13 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen. Its purpose is to support public servants from the Territories to get training and work experience in the UK and for specialists from the UK to work in the Territories. The FCO will continue the programme in FY 2013-14. The future of FCO expenditure on strategic programmes will be considered carefully in the next spending round.

British Overseas Territories

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding was allocated to the Overseas Territories Jubilee Programme in each year for which figures are available.

Mark Simmonds: The Jubilee Programme was launched to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen. It received £571,000 during FY 2012-13, its first year. This funding was in addition to and separate from the small discretionary programme budgets allocated to Governors each financial year.
	Before and during their deployment Governors can draw on the wide range of FCO learning and development resources available both in London and from regional learning and development teams overseas; and on the opportunities offered by the cross-Whitehall provider, Civil Service Learning.

British Overseas Territories

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what level of funding has been allocated to projects aiming to build capacity in civil society in the UK Overseas Territories in the years 2010-2015.

Mark Simmonds: The Governor of each of the populated Overseas Territories has a small project budget that is used to support Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) objectives, including projects to build capacity in civil society.
	The sums allocated totalled the following:
	
		
			 FY £ 
			 2010-11 244,000 
			 2011-12 440,000 
			 2012-13 533,000 
		
	
	Structural changes to the Overseas Territories Strategic Programme Fund from 2011 onwards saw increased sums being devolved to Governors giving them greater flexibility to approve these types of projects.
	Funding allocations for FYs 2014-15 and 2015-16 have yet to be determined. Additionally the FCO's Environmental programme has provided some funds that build capacity.

British Overseas Territories

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific training is provided to UK Overseas Territories' governors (a) before they are deployed and (b) during their deployment.

Mark Simmonds: Governors are offered a comprehensive range of support and training for their postings. Each pre-posting programme will be based on individual needs. However, in general, the pre-posting programme will include calls with territory experts and key contacts both inside and outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO); briefings on core responsibilities; and a three day course that focuses on leading and developing people and teams overseas. We offer additional training on resilience for those going to very small posts and other challenging environments. Governors are also offered learning opportunities on overseas territory specific issues—including disaster management, financial services and criminal justice.
	Before and during their deployment Governors can draw on the wide range of FCO learning and development resources available both in London and from regional learning and development teams overseas; and on the opportunities offered by the cross-Whitehall provider, Civil Service Learning.

British Overseas Territories

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent civil servants in his Department are working on matters related to the UK Overseas Territories.

Mark Simmonds: There are approximately 65 full time equivalent civil servants working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Overseas Territories matters. This figure includes British, UK-based civil servants only—it does not include locally hired staff in the Overseas Territories some of whom are employed directly by the Government of the Territory.

Sudan

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department's website pages for Sudan (a) were last and (b) will be updated. [R]

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) maintains a Travel Advice webpage for Sudan, which was last updated on 7 February 2013. This advice is reviewed and updated or republished as required by changing circumstances. Our embassy in Khartoum also has a 'UK in Sudan' page giving information about UK policy and activities in Sudan, which is updated regularly.

Sudan

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sudanese government in relation to British humanitarian aid workers being expelled from the Sudan.

Mark Simmonds: We are not aware of any foreign humanitarian aid workers who have recently been expelled from Sudan. We are however aware of a number of recent closures of humanitarian programmes run by international non-governmental organisations in Eastern Sudan in 2012, which was a worrying step by the Government. Sudan has a history of expelling foreign aid workers. With the UN and other partners we consistently raise our concerns with the Government of Sudan, pressing them to fulfil their international commitments to allow full humanitarian access. When the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), visited Sudan in January she conveyed these messages to the Government of Sudan.

Air Passenger Duty

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the increasing cost of air passenger duty on all diaspora communities in the UK such as those from African and Caribbean communities; and what plans he has to address this.

Sajid Javid: The Government has limited the rise in air passenger duty (APD) to inflation over the period 2010-11 to 2012-13. Budget 2012 set out rates from April 2013, which will also only rise in line with inflation, ensuring that level of APD will again remain constant in real terms. The Government has also taken other action to help reduce the cost of living, including announcing successive increases in the personal allowance. As a result, over 2.2 million individuals with low incomes will be taken out of income tax altogether.

Corporation Tax

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the lowering of the rate of corporation tax on the UK's inward investment.

David Gauke: The Government aims to create the most competitive tax regime in the G20, to encourage inward investment and support growth. The main, rate of corporate tax has been reduced from 28% in 2010 to 24% in April last year, and will then fall to 23% this April and to 21% in April 2014, when the UK will have the lowest corporation tax rate in the G7 and the fourth lowest in the G20.
	Reforms to the corporate tax regime have made the UK more competitive, stemming the flow of businesses leaving and encouraging companies to come back, such as WPP, or to move here for the first time, such as Lancashire (insurance company) and Rowan.

Local Government: Liverpool

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how City Deal funding will be spent in the Liverpool City region; and how much of that money has been (a) committed and (b) spent in the Merseyside region.

Greg Clark: I am answering this as Minister responsible for City Deals. City Deals were not designed to be about new resources but about devolving existing powers and budgets from the national to the local level to unlock economic growth. Much of the proposals in the deal focus on this.
	As part of the City Deal process the Government, through the Department for Communities and Local Government, has agreed to contribute £75 million to support economic development in the city. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has also agreed to contribute £5 million to the Liverpool International Festival of Business. There will be a future revenue cost associated with the Enterprise Zone which are currently being finalised.
	This Government are clear and united in our ambition to decentralise and disperse power in our society. Therefore, wherever possible we have not prescribed to cities how and where to spend the money.

Local Government: Liverpool

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been (a) committed and (b) spent in the Merseyside region as a result of the awarding of the Liverpool City region as part of the City Deal initiative.

Greg Clark: I am answering this as Minister responsible for City Deals. City Deals are not designed to be about new resources but about devolving existing powers and budgets from the national to the local level to unlock economic growth. Much of the proposals in the deal focus on this.
	As part of the City Deal process the Government, through the Department for Communities and Local Government, has agreed to contribute £75 million to support economic development in the city. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has also agreed to contribute £5 million to the Liverpool International Festival of Business.
	This Government are clear and united in our ambition to decentralise and disperse power in our society. Therefore, wherever possible we have not prescribed to cities how and where to spend the money.

Monetary Policy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on quantitative easing in each year for which data is available; and who the biggest beneficiaries were from quantitative easing.

Greg Clark: The independent Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) policy tools, including Bank Rate and quantitative easing (QE), are macroeconomic policy tools designed to affect the economy as a whole, in order to meet the 2% inflation target over the medium term.
	Under quantitative easing the Bank of England purchases assets financed by the issuance of central bank reserves. These have primarily been £375 billion worth of gilts, largely from non-bank financial institutions, including insurance companies and pension funds, which use the money received to purchase other assets such as corporate bonds and equities. The Bank has also purchased a small amount of private sector assets, mainly corporate bonds.
	More information on the completed purchases can be found on the Bank of England website at the following web link:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/markets/apf/results.htm

Online Infringement of Copyright (Initial Obligations) (Sharing of Costs) Order 2012

Therese Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects his Department to consent to the laying of the draft Implementation of the Online Infringement of Copyright (Initial Obligations) (Sharing of Costs) Order 2012.

Sajid Javid: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the draft Implementation of the Online Infringement of Copyright (Initial Obligations) (Sharing of Costs) Order. The Order will therefore be laid at a time determined appropriate by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, following cross-Government clearance. The original scheme commencement date of 1 March 2014 has not changed.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individual PAYE records from the Real Time Information pilot have been (a) hash matched and (b) not hash matched in each month since the pilot started.

David Gauke: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 563W.
	HMRC are currently collating the data for subsequent months and this data is therefore not available at this time.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the significant classes of error occurring in the PAYE Real Time Information pilot so far and indicate (a) the proportion of PAYE records affected, (b) the likely source or sources of the errors, (c) whether the error will make the record unusable, or unusable for certain purposes, (d) whether his Department will seek to correct the error and (e) how any transactions affected by the record will be handled in the interim.

David Gauke: The RTI pilot will run until 5 April 2012. HMRC plan to complete their evaluation of the RTI pilot in summer 2013 and intend to publish a summary of the outcomes.

Revenue and Customs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs' employees worked on preventing the importation of (a) controlled drugs, (b) illegal firearms, (c) illicit alcohol and (d) illicit tobacco in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: All of the information requested is not available.
	Since 1 April 2009 operational responsibility for detecting controlled drugs, illegal firearms, illicit alcohol and tobacco at UK frontiers has rested with the UK Border Agency/Force.
	Around 206 HMRC officers are engaged in the gathering of intelligence on alcohol and tobacco movements, in order to facilitate the seizure of illicit consignments being imported to the UK.
	Both activities are elements of the UK's holistic response to tackling tobacco and alcohol fraud, detailed in the joint HMRC and UKBA tackling tobacco. Smuggling’ strategy and HMRC's “Tackling Alcohol Fraud” strategy.

Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff his Department employed in each of the past five years; how many such staff were employed in London; how many such staff were employed in other regions of England; how many posts moved from London to these regions; and what steps he is taking to move his staff to regional offices.

Sajid Javid: The number of staff employed by HM Treasury in London and its other offices in each of the past five years (listed as full-time equivalent (FTE) staff) is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 As at the 31(st) each month London Norwich Scotland 
			 March 2009 1,182 61 0 
			 March 2010 1,299 51 0 
			 March 2011 1,209 40 0 
			 March 2012 1,143 34 0 
			 January 2013 1,091 38 1 
		
	
	Fewer than five posts have moved from London to our regional offices in the last five years. Although HM Treasury does not have any current plans to move posts from London to the regions, staff continue to be employed in those offices. Staffing requirements in these offices are kept under review in the light of business requirements with a. view to offering the best policy advice and value for money for the department.

Welfare Tax Credits

Paul Goggins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was lost by HM Revenue and Customs through error and fraud in the administration of tax credits in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to reduce error and fraud in the administration of tax credits.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 4 March 2013
	I would draw the right hon. Member's attention to the report from the Comptroller and Auditor General's report ‘Tackling tax credits error and fraud’ (HC891) published on 14 February 2013 and available at:
	http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/1213/tax_credits_error_and_fraud.aspx
	The latest available estimate of error and fraud is for 2010-11. This is shown in the following table along with values for the preceding four years. Although the value of error and fraud increased in 2010-11, the general trend since HMRC introduced its Tax Credits Error and Fraud Strategy in April 2009 has been downwards. When looked at as the proportion of total tax credits entitlement paid out incorrectly error and fraud has fallen from 8.9% in 2008-09, prior to the strategy, to 8.1 % in 2010-11.
	
		
			 Value of claimant favour error and fraud in tax credits, 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			  Value of claimant favour error and fraud (£ million) 
			 2006-07 1,420 
			 2007-08 1,790 
			 2008-09 2,110 
			 2009-10 2,060 
			 2010-11 2,270 
			 Source: Child and Working Tax Credits Error and Fraud Statistics publications from 2006-07 to 2010-11. 2010-11 is available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-error-stats.htm

Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which Ministers have attended meetings of the Cabinet Sub Committee on Armed Forces and Veterans since May 2010;
	(2)  how often and on what dates the Cabinet Sub Committee on Armed Forces and Veterans has met since February 2012.

Andrew Robathan: The Home Affairs Armed Forces Covenant Sub Committee has met five times since it was established in February 2012. However, it is established practice not to disclose the attendance or dates of the meetings or the agendas of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, in order to allow frank discussions between Ministers and to protect the principle of collective agreement.
	The membership, and terms of reference, of the Home Affairs Armed Forces Covenant, sub-Committee is available from the Cabinet Office website:
	https://update.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Cabinet_Committee_Membership_Lists_Sept_2012.pdf

Armed Forces: Maintenance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase the use of deduction orders in 2012-13.

Andrew Robathan: Deduction from earnings orders are instigated by the Child Support Agency (CSA), not the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and I am therefore not in a position to increase their use.
	The MOD has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the CSA to facilitate the direct deduction of child maintenance payments from pay of non-resident parents who are service personnel.
	Where a parent asks the CSA to help to obtain appropriate child support from a non-resident parent who is a service person, the MOD will assist the CSA in engaging with that service person. Legislation prevents the CSA making an order against the pay of a service person, but under the MOU, the MOD will seek to implement any deduction from earnings request submitted by the CSA.
	Under the terms of the MOU, if a service person is committed to operations the commanding officer may delay any engagement with the CSA until such time as the non-resident parent is in a position to consider any papers that the CSA may send them and respond appropriately.

Depleted Uranium

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2013, Official Report, column 234W, on depleted uranium, whether the Life Extension Programme for the CHARM-3 propellant charge is a one-off process or whether regular testing of the charge will be required in the future.

Philip Dunne: Regular testing of the CHARM 3 propellant charge will continue to be undertaken while the ammunition remains in service.

Gambia

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of progress by the British Military Advisory Training Team in the Gambia;
	(2)  how many of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment training troops in the Gambia are (a) Army personnel and (b) Territorial Army personnel.

Andrew Robathan: We do not have a British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) in the Gambia. However, since 2006 the Royal Gibraltar Regiment has provided twice yearly short-term training teams (STTT) to help the Gambian Armed Forces (GAF) prepare for deployment to the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
	The nature of the training that the Gibraltar Regiment provides has changed over the past 18 months from directly training the Gambian contingent to the delivery of support to the Gambian training school and train-the-trainer activity with the Gambian instructors. A team consisting of four regular Gibraltar Regiment personnel and a Royal Navy doctor will conduct the next iteration of training in March 2013, delivering train-the-trainer activity and concurrently helping the Gambian staff to prepare the next company for deployment to Darfur. This will be the final iteration of training which has delivered a core of instructors at the Gambian training school capable of preparing the GAF for deployment on basic peace support operations.

Military Bases: Bye Laws

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many prosecutions have been brought following breaches of the military land byelaws on the US bases at (a) Menwith Hill, (b) Lakenheath, (c) Molesworth and (e) RAF Fylingdales since 2011; and how many such prosecutions have been successful.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), on 12 February 2013, Official Report, column 633W.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assets and how many service personnel are taking part in Operation Western Zephyr;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Operation Western Zephyr.

Andrew Robathan: Exercise Western Zephyr was a Squadron level bi-lateral training exercise between the RAF and the US Air Force.
	Nine Typhoon aircraft and around 180 personnel participated in Exercise Western Zephyr. The cost is estimated to be approximately £550,000.

Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff his Department employed in each of the past five years; how many such staff were employed in London; how many such staff were employed in other regions of England; how many posts moved from London to these regions; and what steps he is taking to move his staff to regional offices.

Andrew Robathan: The figures requested are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 MOD civilian strength at 1 April each year 
			  2008 2009 2010 20U 2012 
			 Global 89,500 86,620 85,850 83,060 71,010 
			 London 5,390 4,980 4,700 4,570 3,960 
			 East of England 6,550 6.370 6,190 5,510 4.600 
			 East Midlands 2,470 2,450 2,500 2,380 1,900 
		
	
	
		
			 North East 510 490 490 450 330 
			 North West 2,540 2,520 2,460 2,250 1,900 
			 South East 14,830 13,790 13,530 13,400 11,550 
			 South West 21,610 22,010 22,570 21,690 18,100 
			 West Midlands 4,950 4,400 4,630 4,490 3,970 
			 Yorkshire/Humber 3,730 3,830 3,870 3,720 3,230 
			 Notes: 1.( )Global number includes core MOD trading funds personnel, locally employed civilians and Royal Feet Auxiliary personnel. Regional breakdown figures exclude locally employed civilians and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel. Civilian figures are reported in full-time equivalent terms. 2. Figures are rounded where appropriate. 
		
	
	With regard to posts moving from London to the regions, this information is not held in the format requested.
	Under Lord Levene's Defence Reform recommendations to create a smaller, more strategic head office and delegate more authority to empowered service commands we are transferring over 100, predominantly military, posts from Main Building in Whitehall to the Fleet, Land, and Air Headquarters in Portsmouth, Andover, and High Wycombe and to the new Joint Force Command Headquarters in Northwood in north London. This is part of the wider reduction in the size of the Head Office from around 2,400 people in 2011-12 to fewer than 1,600 in 2015-16.

Business: Advisory Services

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many business mentors in each region are currently available through the Government's national network of mentors.

Michael Fallon: The national network of 27,000 mentors, which includes the 15,000 mentor volunteers recruited through the Government funded Get Mentoring project, is accessible via mentorsme.co.uk—the national portal owned and operated by the British Bankers' Association (BBA).
	Data on the 15,000 Get Mentoring volunteers by Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area is:
	
		
			 Geographical spread of trained Get Mentoring volunteer mentors 
			 England (grouped by LEP) Number of mentors 
			 Black Country 277 
			 Buckinghamshire Thames Valley 61 
			 Cheshire and Warrington 221 
			 Coast to Capital 272 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 121 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 210 
			 Cumbria 113 
			 Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire 442 
			 Dorset 165 
			 Enterprise M3 229 
			 Gloucestershire 164 
			 Greater Birmingham and Solihull 615 
			 Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough 485 
			 Greater Lincolnshire 204 
			 Greater Manchester 875 
			 Heart of the South West 484 
			 Hertfordshire 372 
			 Humber 263 
			 Lancashire 423 
			 Leeds City Region 742 
			 Leicester and Leicestershire 180 
			 Liverpool City Region 448 
			 London 1,622 
			 New Anglia 543 
			 North Eastern 1,041 
			 Northamptonshire 148 
			 Oxfordshire 112 
			 Sheffield City Region 501 
			 Solent 206 
			 South East 682 
			 South East Midlands 364 
			 Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire 260 
			 Swindon and Wiltshire 165 
			 Tees Valley 352 
			 Thames Valley Berkshire 112 
			 The Marches 146 
			 West of England 338 
			 Worcestershire 153 
			 York, North Yorkshire and East Riding 369 
			 Total (England) 14,480 
			   
			 Rest of UK  
			 Scotland 567 
			 Wales 147 
			 Northern Ireland 111 
			 UK total 15,305

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many successful applicants for funds under the Business Finance Partnership Small Business Tranche are yet to agree legal and commercial terms.

Michael Fallon: For commercial reasons we are unable to provide this information. A further, announcement on the Business Finance Partnership—Small Business Tranche will be made shortly.

Construction: Vetting

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department makes available to workers who were blacklisted by the Consulting Association in seeking financial compensation for loss of earnings.

Jo Swinson: Blacklisting is an abhorrent practice. That is why, in response to the findings of the investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office into the Consulting Association, the Government legislated in 2010 to prohibit the use of blacklists. Under the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010, individuals who believe they are being excluded from employment because of a blacklist should seek redress in the county courts in England and Wales, or Court of Session in Scotland. Other rights under these Regulations and other legislation, such as the right not to be refused employment because of trade union membership, can be enforced in employment tribunals.
	For individuals who were blacklisted prior to 2010, their remedies lie under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Consolidation Act 1992. We understand that some complaints by workers listed by the Consulting Association have already been made to employment tribunals. Actions were also taken using protections under the Data Protection Act 1998, although these have now, to all intents and purposes, been exhausted with regard to the Consulting Association. Individuals who have been blacklisted by the Consulting Association may also seek redress in the Courts: there is for example an ongoing class action against a number of construction employers.

Copyright Research Expert Advisory Group

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what evidence the Intellectual Property Office sought of members of the Copyright Expert Advisory Group of their ability to fulfil the following membership criteria (a) ability and willingness to work constructively with those of an opposing viewpoint and (b) expertise and breadth of knowledge of subject area; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that members of the expert group continue to fit this criteria.

Jo Swinson: All those invited to join the Copyright Research Expert Advisory Group (CREAG) had previously demonstrated an ability and willingness to work constructively with those of an opposing viewpoint, as well as professional expertise and experience in developing and commenting on research methodologies and data. The IPO regularly reviews CREAG and its membership for its effectiveness and the contribution that individual members make in providing the IPO with independent, constructive and robust challenge to the existing and developing research work programme.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) process and (b) safeguards he will put in place for judging whether there is no routine chance to bid under the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) for firms securing awards under the Exceptional Regional Growth Fund; and whether this decision will be made by Government Ministers or the RGF Independent Advisory Panel.

Michael Fallon: All prospective applicants for exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF) support are strongly encouraged to apply to an open round of RGF.
	Where this is not practicable or possible, applicants will need to demonstrate the basis on which their application is time-limited.
	My noble Friends Lord Heseltine and Lord Shipley will scrutinise all applications for eRGF support on behalf of the Independent Advisory Panel and make recommendations to Ministers on the case for support. This will include consideration of the urgency of the application and whether a referral to an open round would be more appropriate.
	Ministers will make all final decisions on eRGF support.

Secondment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 739W, on secondment, from which other Government departments members of staff were seconded in 2012-13.

Jo Swinson: The following table shows which Government Department members of staff were seconded into BIS from in 2012-13. This data includes UK Trade and Investment.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Cabinet Office 5 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government 1 
			 Department for Education 3 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 1 
			 Department for Transport 2 
			 Department for Work and Pensions 1 
			 Department of Health 1 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 1 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 23 
			 HM Revenue and Customs 2 
			 HM Treasury 6 
			 Home Office 3 
			 Ministry of Defence 37 
			 Ministry of Justice 1 
			 Office for National Statistics 1 
			 Unknown 2 
			 Total 90

Students: Loans

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many student loans have been taken out by (a) UK students and (b) EU students in each year since the inception of student loans for tuition fees; how many students have made any repayments on the loans taken out in each such year; what the value was of such repayments; and if he will provide a breakdown of the number of EU students taking out loans, by nationality.

David Willetts: The information is as follows:
	Tuition fee loans
	Tuition fee loans became available to students in academic year 2006/07. Tuition fee loans are paid directly to higher education institutions (HEI) on behalf of students by the Student Loans Company (SLC). The following table provides details of the tuition fee loans paid to HEIs on behalf of students domiciled in England to study at HEIs in the UK, and EU domiciled students studying in England.
	
		
			 Table 1: Tuition fee loans paid by domicile of applicant academic years 2006/07 to 2011/12 
			  Number of tuition fee loans paid (thousand) Amount paid (£ million) 
			 Academic year English domiciled students EU (Outside UK) domiciled students English domiciled students EU (Outside UK) domiciled students 
			 2011/12 851.5 31.7 2736.3 103.9 
			 2010/11 797.5 27.9 2464.2 88.5 
			 2009/10 757.0 24.6 2267.8 76.4 
			 2008/09 675.9 21.1 1918.3 62.8 
			 2007/08 537.9 15.6 1344.1 44.5 
			 2006/07 388.7 8.8 784.1 23.7 
		
	
	The statistics are published each year by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the publication “Student Support for Higher Education in England”. The latest publication is available via the following link and the relevant table is table 4B:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/525907/slcsfr052012.pdf
	Information on the nationality of applicants is not included in Table 1 as it is not held alongside payments information. As an alternative, Table 2 gives the number of EU-domiciled student support applicants who were awarded tuition fee loans according to the nationality they provided during the application process. The award of a loan will not always result in a payment so the totals in Table 2 are larger than in Table 1.
	The number of students taking out tuition fee loans and who are domiciled in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.
	Repayments
	Information on repayments of income contingent repayment (ICR) loans is published on an annual basis in the Official Statistics Release “Income Contingent repayments by Repayment cohort and tax year 2001/01 to 2010/11 SLC OSP February 2012” at:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333186/slcosp022012.pdf
	This provides information based on the date borrowers became liable to repay, and cannot be directly compared to the table above. Repayments data include English-domiciled borrowers who are repaying maintenance loans as well as tuition fee loans. Students from the EU can usually apply for tuition fee loans only. Only those EU nationals who have been resident in the UK and islands for three years and also EEA students assessed as migrant workers may be eligible to apply for living cost support.
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of EU domiciled(1) full-time student support applicants studying in England awarded tuition fee loan support by nationality(2)academic years 2006/07 to 2011/12 
			  Number of EU domiciled applicants 
			 Nationality of applicant 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 
			 Austria 90 160 180 200 220 230 
			 Belgium 90 160 210 220 240 240 
			 Bulgaria (3)— 340 870 1,580 2,250 2,950 
			 Cyprus 740 2,500 3,410 4,300 4,790 5,400 
			 Czech Republic 170 240 240 230 240 250 
			 Denmark 100 200 250 260 260 260 
			 Estonia 130 290 440 530 550 650 
			 Finland 180 360 440 430 450 450 
			 France 1,060 1,480 1,560 1,510 1,200 1,090 
			 Germany 960 1,680 2,010 2,060 2,010 2,010 
			 Greece 490 1,170 1,400 1,440 1,480 1,710 
			 Hungary 150 280 320 350 340 340 
			 Ireland 620 980 1,180 1,270 1,320 1,240 
			 Italy 230 470 600 720 850 1,010 
			 Latvia 260 550 730 930 1,200 1,280 
			 Lithuania 560 1,060 1,380 1,850 2,460 3,050 
			 Luxembourg 20 30 20 20 (3)— (3)— 
			 Malta 30 60 80 80 70 70 
			 Netherlands 130 240 270 280 270 260 
			 Poland 1,240 2,240 2,510 2,620 2,250 1,940 
			 Portugal 230 460 470 500 470 460 
			 Romania (3)— 340 910 1,620 2,570 3,520 
			 Slovakia 210 390 490 550 540 530 
			 Slovenia 20 50 60 60 50 50 
			 Spain 270 460 530 560 560 710 
			 Sweden 180 390 400 380 340 350 
			 United Kingdom 270 740 910 1,000 950 900 
			 Other nationality (outside EU) 160 290 360 400 410 450 
			 Nationality not available(4) 140 330 540 830 1,040 1,340 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 8,700 17,920 22,770 26,760 29,370 32,740 
			 (1) Applicants are ‘EU domiciled’ if they were ordinarily resident in the EU, EU overseas territories, elsewhere in the EEA or Switzerland for the three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of your course. (2) Nationality is based on information collected during the application process for student support. (3) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 applicants; numbers less than 15 but not zero. (4) Nationality is collected from all student support applicants though some have still to be classified in the management information database and so are “not available”. Note: Figures refer to the position on 31 August at end of each year academic year. Source: Student Loans Company Management Information

Electricity

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to make it easier for smaller energy organisations to sell their electricity in the market;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with small energy suppliers on (a) simplifying trading and (b) training specialised staff;
	(3)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that electricity suppliers and gas suppliers benefit from equal trading conditions.

John Hayes: DECC, Ministers meet regularly with stakeholders to discuss a range of issues.
	The UK's wholesale gas market displays high levels of participation from a range of market participants compared to other European markets. The Government, with Ofgem, is acting to encourage the development of a more diverse electricity market, helping small suppliers and generators to compete on a more equal footing with the larger organisations. Ofgem is taking forward proposals to address the low levels of liquidity in the wholesale electricity market and Government is seeking backstop powers to address low liquidity should Ofgem and industry efforts not deliver adequate improvements.
	Independent renewable developers have raised concerns that the long-term contracts (Power Purchase Agreement or PPAs) needed to underwrite some investments have become harder to obtain. While we expect the PPA market will improve with the introduction of Contracts for Difference we are seeking powers to be able to intervene in case the market does not provide routes to market that support independent investment, and are considering what further steps might be needed to ensure that all potential developers, including independent and smaller participants, can support the Government's objectives to decarbonise the electricity generation at least cost to consumers.
	For smaller suppliers, we have increased the threshold at which suppliers are required to participate in Government environmental and social schemes from 50,000 customers to 250,000 customers.

Electricity

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that small suppliers will be treated equally under the electricity market capacity mechanism.

John Hayes: The payment model being developed for the capacity market requires suppliers to fund the costs of the mechanism. We are in the process of determining the exact arrangements and a number of options are under consideration. Each option has the common feature that suppliers share of costs would be in proportionate to a measure of their customers' electrical demand. This will ensure equitable treatment of all suppliers. We intend to make final proposals on cost apportionment by May 2013.

Energy: Prices

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent initiatives his Department has introduced to reduce the cost of consumer energy bills.

John Hayes: The Government is committed to helping energy consumers get their bills down by getting people paying the lowest possible tariffs and to reducing the amount of energy that is wasted. We have introduced a number of measures recently to deliver this commitment, including:
	Putting clauses in the Energy Bill to help ensure consumers are on the lowest tariff for them;
	The Green Deal, launched in January 2013, will help British consumers stay warm for less by letting them pay for energy efficiency improvements through savings on their fuel bills, transforming homes over the coming decade and beyond;
	The new Energy Company Obligation, working alongside Green Deal, will provide considerable support to make homes more energy efficient and reach some 230,000 low income and vulnerable households each year;
	Providing direct support through the Warm Home Discount, which ensured over 1 million of the poorest pensioners automatically received a discount on their electricity bill of £130 before 31 December 2012;
	Providing local authorities and third sector organisations the opportunity to bid for up to £30 million of funding, through the Cheaper Energy Together scheme, to reduce the extent of fuel poverty in their area, primarily through the provision of support for improvements to the thermal efficiency of dwellings. This included £5 million of support for the most innovative local authority or third sector collective switching schemes.

Wind Power

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the expenditure of carbon during the (a) construction and (b) erection of wind turbines.

Gregory Barker: Wind power has one of the lowest carbon footprints, with the manufacturing and construction phases accounting for 98% of the total life, cycle CO2 emissions. For onshore wind, the carbon footprint ranges between 8-20gCO2eq/kWh, taking into account not only emissions from generation of electricity but those incurred during the manufacture, construction and decommissioning phase:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/postpn268.pdf
	For offshore wind, two peer-reviewed studies have given footprints of between nine and 13 gCO2eq/kWh. By comparison, the average emissions from fossil fuelled power generation in the UK is around 850gCO2eq/kWh for coal, 590gCO2eq/kWh for oil and 370gCO2eq/kWh for gas:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/postpn_383-carbon-footprint-electricity-generation.pdf

Horsemeat

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reassurances he has sought from the Irish Government that horsemeat from the Irish Republic is not making its way into the food chain in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

David Heath: On 13 February the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), met Agriculture Ministers from Ireland, France, Romania, Luxembourg, Sweden and Poland to seek coordinated action across Europe for consumers so that they can have confidence in what they are buying.
	He was pleased to report that agreement was reached on a number of key issues in order to ensure that the current unacceptable situation with horsemeat cannot happen again, this includes a programme of DNA testing of beef products across the EU covering domestic and imported products, with first results by 15 April. In addition, both domestic and imported horsemeat will be tested for bute. The Secretary of State made a statement following this meeting on 13 February providing more details.

Sand and Gravel

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of sand and gravel have been extracted in the UK in each of the last five years.

Nicholas Boles: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Annual Minerals Raised Inquiry survey provides data on the sales of extracted minerals in Great Britain, and may be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/minerals
	Sales of sand and gravel for construction purposes in Great Britain for the last five years for which data is available is:
	
		
			  Tonnes 
			 2011 55,015 
			 2010 54,330 
			 2009 55,709 
			 2008 72,127 
			 2007 78,501

Fire Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) legislative, (b) policy and (c) regulatory changes were made in relation to the outsourcing of services by local fire and rescue authorities between May 1997 and April 2010; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy in this regard.

Brandon Lewis: The last Administration introduced the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 which amended the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1947. The 2004 Act provided local fire and rescue authorities with the ability to outsource a wide range of its services in the execution of its functions, and many fire and rescue authorities now use these outsourcing powers. Ministers told the House then:
	‘the Bill is not about the wholesale privatisation of the fire and rescue service'
	(“Fire and Rescue Services Bill Deb”, 24 February 2004, column 173).
	In recent weeks, this canard has emerged from hibernation as it has been suggested that this Government is seeking to 'privatise' the fire service. I would like to state for the record that this is completely untrue.
	We are actually working to support local mutuals and co-operatives, following a bid from Cleveland Fire and Rescue Authority to set up a local employee-led mutual. The Labour councillor who is the local authority's chairman has described the claims of privatisation as 'scaremongering' (Darlington and Stockton Times, 12 February 2013).
	There has previously been support from across the political spectrum for co-operatives and mutuals in local government, and I note that the Communities and Local Government Select Committee recently called on the Government to do more to help support the development of mutuals and co-operatives in local government (“Mutual and co-operative approaches to delivering local services”, HC 112, December 2012).
	More information on the false alarm of ‘privatisation' can be found on my Department's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/news/ministers-respond-to-false-alarm-of-fire-service-privatisation

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects the first guarantee under the Housing Guarantee Scheme to be in place; and when he expects the first homes built under this scheme to be (a) started and (b) completed.

Mark Prisk: Government issued an invitation to tender for delivery partner(s) interested in raising capital and on-lending it for qualifying projects for the two housing guarantees schemes on 31 January 2013. The invitation to tender seeks to have our delivery partners) in place and open for business by the end of April 2013. Potential delivery partners have been asked to set out their proposed timetable to be operational. Further detail on exact timings will be available once the delivery partner(s) have been appointed.

Housing: Construction

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) private sector and (b) public sector new housing starts there were in quarter 4 of 2012 in (i) Peterborough City Council area and (ii) each local authority in England; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Statistics on house building starts by tenure in each local authority are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link. Taken together, the housing association and local authority tenures comprise the social housing starts.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Housing: Construction

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to introduce legislation giving deemed planning consent for housing applications in local authority areas which have not adopted local plans or do not have a five-year land supply by 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework, published in March 2012 introduced a presumption in favour of sustainable development, which reinforces the role of the statutory development plan for an area. The presumption indicates that proposals in line with those plans should expect to be swiftly approved and that where the development plan is absent, silent or relevant policies are out of date, permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the framework taken as a whole; or where specific policies in the framework indicate development should be restricted(1).
	Where a local authority cannot identify a five-year supply of deliverable sites, the relevant policies for the supply of housing should not be considered up to date. In such cases, the decision taker should apply the presumption while taking into account any other material planning considerations. The Government has no plans to legislate to give deemed consent where there is not an up-to-date plan in place or a five-year housing supply.
	(1) For example, those policies relating to sites protected under the Birds and Habitats Directives (see paragraph 119) and/or designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest; land designated as Green Belt, Local Green Space, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Heritage Coast or within a National Park (or the Broads Authority); designated heritage assets; and locations at risk of flooding or coastal erosion.

Housing: Taxation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities are requiring no refundable affordable housing levies in advance of planning consents being granted.

Nicholas Boles: The Government does not collect this information.
	Any affordable housing requirement in a Section 106 planning obligation is sought and applied locally by the local planning authority.

Housing: Taxation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the effect of the affordable housing levy in (a) Leicestershire, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Nottinghamshire on self-build properties.

Nicholas Boles: We receive and consider correspondence on many aspects of planning policy and that includes those dealing with the affordable housing requirements in Section 106 obligations.
	We are taking forward reforms in respect of Section 106 agreements, to help developers and landowners renegotiate economically unrealistic affordable housing requirements, and to deliver more housing and more affordable housing than would otherwise be the case.
	As outlined in my answer of 30 January 2013, Official Report, column 853W, the Community Infrastructure Levy was a measure introduced under the last Administration. The Government has already reformed the operation of the Levy and continues to listen to issues raised by those charging and paying it.
	We are currently reviewing what further steps can be taken to ensure that self-build and genuine small-scale development is not adversely affected by the introduction of the Levy.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been purchased under the New Buy scheme since its creation in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) Barrow in Furness, (c) South Lakeland and (d) Cumbria.

Mark Prisk: The Department does not produce data on how many homes have been purchased under the New Buy scheme since its creation in the Barrow and Furness constituency, Barrow in Furness, South Lakeland and Cumbria.
	However, I can refer the hon. Member to the map of NewBuy sales, based on post code districts, in the official statistics published on 26 February.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/newbuy-guarantee-scheme-statistics-march-to-december-2012
	The Home Builders Federation, one of the Government's key partners in the development and operation of NewBuy, announced on 24 January that 3,000 reservations have been made under the scheme.

Property Rights

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what future plans he has on the right to light.

Nicholas Boles: “Rights to Light” are important property rights and are separate from planning law.
	The role of the independent Law Commission is to ensure that the law is as fair, modern, simple and as cost-effective as possible. The Commission has been reviewing the law on Rights to Light and is now consulting on its provisional proposals. Its goal is to update and improve confusing and fragmented land law and legal rulings which date back to 1832.
	There is a positive role for constructive legal consolidation. For example, the Party Wall etc Act 1996 consolidated complex legislation on land boundaries that dated back to the 17(th) Century.
	The Commission will make its recommendations to the Government in November, after analysing the consultation responses. We will then consider the Commission's recommendations carefully and decide whether to ask them to take their review any further. Ultimately, any revision of the law is a decision for Parliament.
	Notwithstanding, the Government recognises how important natural light is to people and to local amenity and is absolutely committed to protecting householders’ rights.

Right to Buy Scheme: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants participated in the Right to Buy scheme for social housing since 2 April 2012 in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency, (b) Newcastle upon Tyne and (c) the North East.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 1 March 2013
	Figures for local authority right to buy sales at local authority district level since April 2012 can be found in Live Table 691 on this page
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-buy-sales-in-england-2012-to-2013
	There were 64 right to buy sales in Newcastle metropolitan district between 2012-13 Q1 and Q3. This is up from 28 sales in 2011-12. Figures are collected at local authority level and not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	North East
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region.

Social Rented Housing

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average weekly rent is for a two bedroom property in the social sector in each (a) Broad Rental Market Area and (b) local authority.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 1 March 2013
	Average weekly rent data by local authority are available in the Department's Local Authority Housing Statistics. The data are available in Section H at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2011-to-2012

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) cases have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, (b) prosecutions have been commenced, (c) random inspections of licensed abortion centres have taken place and (d) other follow-up steps have been taken following the Chief Medical Officer's letter to abortion providers sent in February 2012.

Anna Soubry: A number of referrals to police forces have been made since allegations of sex-selective abortions and concerns about pre-signing of HSA1 abortion notification forms were raised in February 2012. These referrals have been made by departmental officials and, in some cases, directly from national health service trusts. Decisions on prosecutions are still awaited from the Crown Prosecution Service.
	The following table provides details of inspections undertaken by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) between 1 April 2012 and 27 February 2013 of locations undertaking termination of pregnancy. The data collected by the CQC does not capture whether the inspections are unannounced but they have advised that, in the vast majority of cases, these inspections were unannounced.
	The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), approves independent sector places to perform termination of pregnancy. All places were re-approved from 1 September 2012 using updated requirements contained in Interim Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places for the Termination of Pregnancy (the Procedures). The updated version of the procedures sets out in greater detail the legal requirements around certification of abortions. As part of the re-approval process all places were required to describe the monitoring arrangements they had in place to ensure these requirements are being met. Later this year we will publicly consult on a further updated version of the procedures.
	
		
			  Inspection type(1) Number of inspections undertaken Number of locations 
			 2012-13 Scheduled 224 198 
			  Responsive—follow up 92 71 
			  Compliance review 26 26 
			  Responsive—concerning info 31 26 
			  Desk based follow up review 6 6 
			  Total 379 327 
			 Inspection types: Scheduled: these are inspections that are part of our planned inspection programme. Responsive follow up: these are follow up inspections where the previous inspection found non-compliance. Compliance Review: these are reviews of the evidence and information that we have, which will involve a site visit (inspection) to make a judgement on whether a provider is compliant with the essential standards. It is called a review rather than inspection because it involves more than just evidence and information obtained on inspection. A review can be thematic, e.g looking at particular standards across a number of different providers or it can encompass any number of essential standards. Responsive—concerning info: these are inspections carried out in response to concerns that CQC receive/are aware of. Desk based follow up review: these are inspections where a site visit is not necessary to check compliance (e.g. documentation check).

Paediatrics

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals in England have consultant-delivered children and paediatric services.

Daniel Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested.
	However, a report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, “Consultant Delivered Care: An evaluation of new ways of working in paediatrics” (April 2012) showed that 94.6% of paediatric and neonatal units that responded to their survey, provide consultant delivered care.
	The report is available at:
	www.rcpch.ac.uk/system/files/protected/page/CDC%20full%20report%2024%2004%2012%20V2.pdf

Pancreatic Cancer

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients with pancreatic cancer have been offered access to clinical trials in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to increase the level of research funding aimed at (a) pancreatic cancer and (b) other cancers.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is fully committed to clinical and applied research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
	The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) is a United Kingdom-wide partnership between the Government, charity and industry which promotes co-operation in cancer research among the 22 member organisations. An analysis of spend data submitted by NCRI partners covering the period from 2002 to 2011 is available on the NCRI website at:
	www.ncri.org.uk/includes/Publications/general/Data_package_11.xls
	This analysis includes data for all cancer research, for site-specific research and for individual sites including pancreatic cancer. Between 2002 and 2011 the proportion of site-specific funding spent on pancreatic cancer research almost doubled.
	In August 2011, the Government announced £800 million investment over five years in a series of NIHR biomedical research centres and units, including £61.5 million funding for the Royal Marsden Institute of Cancer Research Biomedical Research Centre, and £6.5 million funding for the Liverpool biomedical research unit in gastrointestinal disease (which will have a major focus on pancreatic cancer).
	Data is not available on the total number of patients with pancreatic cancer who have been offered access to clinical trials.
	The UK Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio database records that, at 28 February 2013, 1,826 participants had been recruited to clinical trials (phases I to IV) in pancreatic cancer hosted by the CRN that began recruitment after February 2007.
	In addition, the NIHR funds 15 Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres in partnership with Cancer Research UK. Since 2007, these centres have supported 28 pancreatic cancer studies.
	The UK has the highest national per capita rate of cancer trial participation in the world.
	The NCRI Upper Gastrointestinal Clinical Studies Group is dedicated to developing a portfolio of research studies in this area and has a Pancreatic Cancer Subgroup. This subgroup has developed a number of internationally-run trials.

Civil Disorder: Compensation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of the monetary value of claims brought under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 relating to public disorder in August 2011 has been paid;
	(2)  what the total value is of reimbursements made to police authorities under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 since August 2011;
	(3)  with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1053, on public disorder, what the total value is of payments made from the High Street Support Scheme since August 2011;
	(4)  with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1053, on public disorder, how many claims have been made to the High Street Support Scheme since August 2011; and how many such claims have been paid out.

Damian Green: holding answer 28 February 2013
	Since August 2011, the total amount reimbursed by the Home Office to police authorities (now police and crime commissioners) under the Riot Damages Act 1886 is approximately £14.4 million. However this figure does not represent the full amount paid or offered by individual PCCs to meet uninsured claims and reimburse insurance companies, as a number of PCCs have yet to submit claims to the Home Office for reimbursement.
	The vast majority of people affected have received compensation:
	Of uninsured cases:
	PCCs currently have only 13 uninsured cases outstanding of the 577 cases they originally received from the Home Office bureau and direct from claimants (around 2%).
	In addition, 714 new claims were received from individuals who were originally insured but have since had their claim repudiated by their insurance company for reasons such as under insurance. 21 of these cases remain ongoing (about 3%).
	Of insured cases:
	Over 98% of household property damage claims have been settled by insurers.
	93% of small to medium-size businesses have received settlement or interim payments from insurers.
	99% of large commercial claims have received settlement or interim payments from insurers.
	Of those PCC payments to insurers:
	Of the 3,931 claims from insurance companies for reimbursement of costs, 338 remain (around 9% of original total).
	The High Street Support Scheme was jointly funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Home Office does not collect data relating to this scheme.

Scrap Metal Dealers Bill 2013

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the preparedness of police forces to investigate the commission of offences under the provisions of the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill 2013 following Royal Assent; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office worked closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Transport Police throughout the development of the Bill to ensure that it provides the police with strong, but proportionate powers, in order to tackle unscrupulous scrap metal dealers. We will ensure that guidance on the new regulatory regime is issued to police forces before the summer recess, well in advance of the commencement of the legislation in October.

Travel Requirements

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for travel documents are currently awaiting processing by the UK Border Agency; and what the average waiting time for such processing is.

Mark Harper: holding answer 28 February 2013
	Data on travel documents processing times is not held centrally. Local management information shows that at 26 February there are 8,531 travel document applications outstanding and a further 7,270 where the applicant has applied for both a Travel Document and a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
	Local management information shows that the average time to process an application is currently 85 days. This includes applications where the applicant has failed to apply for a BRP with their Travel Document (TD) and has subsequently been asked to enrol their biometrics to confirm their status before their TD application can be processed.

Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  when he expects electors who have not supplied personal identifiers to be removed from the electoral register under the provisions of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013;
	(2)  when he plans to bring forward secondary legislation under the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013.

Chloe Smith: The Government expects the majority of existing electors to be automatically confirmed on the electoral register when the transition gets underway in summer 2014. The second round of data-matching pilots suggests that an average of 70% of existing electors can be ‘confirmed’ on the register through data-matching in this way, and therefore will not need to submit personal identifiers to become individually registered.
	Those who are not confirmed will be required to provide personal identifiers in order to remain registered under individual electoral registration (IER). Those applying for new registrations (such as new electors and home movers) will be required to supply personal identifiers.
	Our plan for non-IER entries to be removed from the register at the conclusion of the autumn 2015 canvass, in December 2015, and Ministers intend to lay an Order before Parliament under paragraph 28 of schedule 5 to the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 to this effect.
	Secondary legislation under the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 has already been brought forward: the draft Electoral Registration (Disclosure of Electoral Registers) Regulations 2013 and the draft Electoral Registration (Postponement of 2013 Annual Canvass) Order 2013 were laid on 25 January. Further secondary legislation on individual electoral registration will be brought forward later this year for implementation to begin in 2014.

Government Departments: Waste

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on the implementation of the recommendations made in Sir Philip Green's report into departmental waste; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Since the publication of Sir Philip Green's Efficiency Review we have introduced a series of measures to improve public procurement policy and practice and to drive out waste and inefficiency.
	In procurement, the Government has increased the aggregation and standardisation of common goods and services to enable Government to leverage efficiencies of scale. In 2010-11, £2.5 billion of spend went through centrally negotiated GPS frameworks, saving Departments £357 million. In 2011-12, £3 billion of spend went through centrally negotiated GPS frameworks, saving Departments more than £420 million.
	We have introduced rigorous controls over spending in various areas. These controls led to savings on consultancy and contingent labour of more than £1.3 billion in 2010-11 and more than £1.7 billion in 2011-12. National Property Controls introduced by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which stop signing of new leases and renewals of existing leases, reduced estate costs from May 2010 to September 2012 by £362 million, by exiting 1,070 buildings. In addition, by renegotiating deals with some of the largest suppliers to Government we saved £800 million in 2010-11, equivalent to 6% of a full year of spend with those suppliers.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of quangos abolished since May 2010; and if he will make a statement on future planned progress on this issue.

Nick Hurd: To date, we have abolished over 130 bodies and merged over 150 bodies into fewer than 70, reducing the total number of public bodies by more than 220. The public bodies landscape will ultimately be reduced by around 300 by the end of the spending review period.
	The Government has also introduced a programme of Triennial Reviews which will continue to challenge whether the functions of each non-departmental public body need to exist and need to continue at arm's length from Government.

Schools: Playing Fields

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the advice given by the Schools Playing Fields Advisory Panel in all cases where Ministers have overruled that advice in relation to sales of playing fields since June 2010.

David Laws: holding answer 5 September 2013
	The role of the Schools Playing Fields Advisory Panel is to provide independent advice to Ministers and the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), as part of the decision making process on applications from local authorities and schools to dispose of school playing field land. In line with the practice established by the previous administration, we do not publish the panel's specific advice to Ministers on a case by case basis.
	We will only agree to the sale of school playing fields if the sports and curriculum needs of schools and their neighbouring schools can continue to be met. This Government have only approved sales if the school has closed, has merged, or if equal or better facilities are being put in their place.